Following a disappointing home loss to South Alabama last week, the Troy football team will face another tough road test at Mississippi State.
The matchup with the SEC powerhouse will be another mountain for a Trojan team that has made leaps and bounds from where it was last season.
Despite having a 1-3 record to start the season, the Trojans have shown that they can stay competitive with just about any team in the nation. Troy has had a difficult non-conference schedule to say the least, having already faced North Carolina State and Wisconsin on the road this season.
This Saturday, Oct. 10, Troy will likely face the best team it will see all season in the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State ranks sixth in the SEC in total offense, averaging 284.8 passing yards per game behind senior quarterback Dak Prescott.
Despite disappointing losses to conference foes LSU and Texas A&M, the Bulldogs still remain a force to be reckoned with by any who oppose them. Prescott is third in the conference for total passing yards and shows no signs of slowing down, despite being in a conference that consistently has some of the top defenses in the nation.
What does this mean for the Trojans going into Davis Wade Stadium? It means that they must once again step up to the plate and play their best game of the year in a hostile environment in Starkville, Mississippi.
Sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers will need to lead the offense with maturity and efficiency if his team plans to remain competitive on the road. It would be to the Trojans’ advantage if they were to force the game into a shootout as opposed to a battle of defenses.
On defense, Troy will need its secondary to step up and make plays, particularly against a dual-threat quarterback such as Prescott.
“The thing that sticks out to me that they’ve improved on from last season is in their secondary,” said head coach Neal Brown. “They are playing at a high level in the secondary and are making plays on balls. They are experienced; they have played a lot of football.”
Troy will definitely have its hands full on the road this week, but expect the visitors to make things interesting if they’re able to come up with big plays early.
Kickoff in Starkville is scheduled for 3 p.m., and will be televised on SEC Network.
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